"Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife" by Linda Berdoll

Source: books.simonandschuster.com via Casey on Pinterest

Maybe it's because my husband bears an uncanny resemblance to him, but I do enjoy a good portrayal of Mr. Darcy.  (Or perhaps that's why my husband resembles him, only ---sadly---lacking the sizable estate.)  Some portrayals of Mr. Darcy try to simply embody his presence in Pride and Prejudice (both the Colin Firth and Keira Knightley film adaptations of the book fall in this category).  Others, like the Bridget Jones movies, take some liberties in character, time period, or other details.  Linda Berdoll's Austenite novel, Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife, attempts to just continue Austen's original novel, but actually becomes an almost completely separate entity.

Yes, the novel begins with the newlywed Darcy couple, and most of the characters are from Pride and Prejudice.  The problem is that the characters, particularly Mr. Darcy, are not the same characters.  Yes, the are superficially the same, but it just wasn't convincing as a continuation.

Even after I tried to think of it as a separate historical novel that happened to share some names with Austen's fiction, there were still some things that bothered me.  The word "niggardly" is used, for example.  Although it could probably be considered historical in context, it was completely unnecessary, and not a word frequently (if ever) used by Austen herself.

If you are just after historical fiction, read some of Tracey Chevalier or Philippa Gregory's books instead.
If you want to enjoy some Mr. Darcy, and I can't say I blame you, try checking out this list of Austenite fiction, or read the original.  I have yet to take as great of pleasure in an Austen adaptation as in Austen's actual words (no matter how much I dearly love some Austen-based books and movies).

To find out more about Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife, click here.

"Dancing with Mr. Darcy" edited by Sarah Waters



Wolvesey Castle in Winchester near where Jane Austen lived at the end of her life

I've got a soft spot for Austen adaptations and fan fiction.  I admit it.  So the short story collection "Dancing with Mr. Darcy" was really interesting to me.  All of the stories have some relationship to Jane Austen and/or her novels.  I loved some of the stories, and I admit that I didn't really enjoy all of them.  Overall, though, it was an interesting way to engage with Austen's literary legacy and be exposed to new authors.

To read my review of "Dancing with Mr. Darcy", click here.

"The True Darcy Spirit" by Elizabeth Aston

Yes, I probably read too much Austen fan fiction.  I read Jane Austen's novels and now I just can't seem to stop.

My most recent visit to the world of Austen was "The True Darcy Spirit" by Elizabeth Aston.  Set about twenty years after "Pride & Prejudice", the children of Austen's novel take center stage.  I read it because of the Austen tie-in, it works on its own as an interesting historical novel.

Click here to visit author Elizabeth Aston's official website.

If you enjoy "The True Darcy Spirit", I recommend reading Elizabeth Aston's five other novels related to the Darcy family.  Obviously fans of Aston will enjoy reading (or rereading) Jane Austen's classic novel.  Other Austen fan fiction novels include "Jane Austen Stole my Boyfriend", "Dancing with Mr. Darcy", and "Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict".

"Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen

I recently read some Austen fan fiction.  Reading the Austen inspired novels mostly just left me wanting to revisit the real thing.  I have a copy of "Pride and Prejudice" and hadn't read it in a few years, so I decided to read it. 

If I'm honest, I'm a bit intimidated to write a post about "Pride and Prejudice".  It is, after all, an absolute classic.  Everyone is familiar with it, and it's difficult for me to find something new and interesting or useful to say in a blog post about it.  I'll just tell you a little about my experience reading "Pride and Prejudice".

Exactly eight days ago I had the most beautiful baby boy ever born (no, there's no point debating this point...he's gorgeous).  It was a planned c-section.  This means that I had plenty of time to wait at hospital appointments before he was born.  "Pride & Prejudice" became the book that I stuck in my hospital bag, and I literally read it sat waiting on a hospital bed on the morning he was born until they started preparing me for surgery.  So "Pride and Prejudice" is now linked, for me, to the memory of my son being born.

If you're used to modern novels, then it can take awhile to really get into novels from this period.  However, once you get a few chapters in, "Pride and Prejudice " is completely involving.  For me, I sometimes found it difficult to read without automatically picturing one of the "Pride and Prejudice" films.  I really enjoyed rereading it though, and noticed things that I hadn't before.

Overall, what can I say?  "Pride and Prejudice" deserves it's place as a classic.